Commission facilitates interoperability for
Europe's trains

Today the European Commission adopted an amendment
to the European standard for train signaling and speed control – the
European Train Control System (ETCS) - which guarantees a common standard that
enables trains to cross national borders and enhances safety. Deployment of ETCS
across key freight and high speed corridors will greatly improve the
competitiveness of European railways.

European Commission Vice-President in charge of transport, Jacques Barrot,
said that "today's decision is a major milestone in the evolution of ETCS which
paves the way for a legally stable and interoperable future for Europe's rail
network".

The ETCS concept is simple: information is transmitted from the ground to the
train, where an on-board computer uses it to calculate the maximum authorised
speed and then automatically slows down the train if necessary. ETCS is one
component of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS).

Currently, there are more than 20 different signalling systems in operation
in Europe and their incompatibility is a major technical barrier to
international traffic. ERTMS is a tool to establish an integrated and
intelligent railway transport system in Europe. Using the most up-to-date
technologies, ERTMS allows for reduced transport costs and improved punctuality
and safety. It helps make rail a more competitive alternative to road, air and
sea transport. ERTMS is also a key element of several trans-European transport
network (TEN-T) priority projects and is important for the overall upgrade of
European railways.

Following an intense ten year phase of research and development, validation
of the ETCS standard was carried out from 2000 to 2007 with real scale projects
underway in parallel. Since 2005, feedback from projects prompted the need to
fine tune the specifications in order to move from local to global compatibility
and ensure interoperability between all projects in Europe. Today's decision
eliminates the risk of any ambiguities that might have resulted in incompatible
projects and guarantees that Europe's trains equipped with ETCS can travel on
any line equipped with ETCS.

ETCS is already installed on over 2,000 km of track and by 2012 over 11,000
km of ETCS will be in operation. Freight transport will benefit significantly
from ETCS and when complemented by other measures, freight volume is expected to
increase by 55% along certain corridors, travel time is expected to be reduced
by 20% and reliability is expected to increase by 26%. All of this makes rail a
more attractive option for freight transport. Rail safety will also be enhanced.